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Origin of Egyptian mummies pushed back 2000 years

MUMMIES are old. No, really&colon; the ancient Egyptians were mummifying the dead 2000 years earlier than we thought.

The earliest Egyptian burials date from 6500 years ago. But the evidence suggested that mummification using preserving oils and resins only began about 4500 years ago.

Stephen Buckley of the University of York, UK, and his colleagues analysed a sticky, toffee-like resin on linen wrappings used in some of the earliest burials, from southern Egypt. They found it contained “the same ingredients in roughly the same proportions” as found in much later deliberate mummifications, says Buckley. The mix of plant oils, animal fats and other substances would have repelled insects and preserved flesh (PLoS One, doi.org/t73).

“We knew from observation that there was artificial treatment of bodies at this early date, but what this research does is tell us precisely what they were using,” says John Taylor of the British Museum in London. The Egyptians may have acquired embalming skills over a long period, so “the beginnings of mummification could be even earlier”.

This article appeared in print under the headline “Ancient origins of mummification”